


Leave the Light On

by rychuu



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: M/M, There is implications of past abuse, What kind of abuse?, While there is no explicit stuff, Who knows I left it vague tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 02:37:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18841909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rychuu/pseuds/rychuu
Summary: Kokichi Ouma has a very vivid, realistic nightmare that startles him awake, and Shuichi Saihara is there to help talk him through it, calm him down, and comfort him.Written for detectivesplotslies/caeboa/alerane. Enjoy!





	Leave the Light On

It was dark. It was cold. It was quiet. Christmas had come and gone, and leaving behind only the remnants of an icy winter that chilled the air. There was little warmth Shuichi could take refuge in, despite wearing layers upon layers of clothes and huffing hot air into his hands as a desperate attempt for warmth. When he glanced back at Kokichi, he saw that he wasn’t fairing much better, shivering and rubbing his arms vigorously to heath them up with friction.

Soon enough, Kokichi huffed and decided to wrap his arms around Shuichi, playing up the dramatics of how he was _absolutely freezing to death_ and needed Shuichi to _hug him immediately_ before he died in his arms.

“We’re only a block away from our apartment,” Shuichi muttered, a smile forming despite the antics.

“But Shuuuuu! It’s so cold, I’m freezing!” Kokichi whined, clinging onto Shuichi even more and tossing his weight around like an over-dramatic child. “And my legs are all sore! I don’t think I could go on anymore, you might have to leave me…! Or, you could carry me the rest of the way home!”

Shuichi rolled his eyes, though a low chuckled escaped him. “Oh, such a shame… I really loved you, too. I guess I have no other choice...”

“Wha—hey! _Rude!”_ Shuichi only snickered more at Kokichi’s expense, who was pouting. “No faaaair, Shu, you’re supposed to pick me up into your arms and carry me home, not leave me behind!”

“Well, it seems like you’re walking just fine on your own. Besides, if I didn’t know any better...” Shuichi’s smile turned a little impish. “I’d think that you just want to be carried like a princess.”

Kokichi’s breath sputtered, and his cheeks burned an even rosier red from the combination of the cold and embarrassment, and Shuichi laughed.

“Sorry, sorry.” Despite apologizing, Shuichi didn’t _look_ sorry, and Kokichi only pouted more in return. “We’re almost home, though.”

“Well, good! You better make me a warm bowl of ramen, or I’ll never forgive you for nearly abandoning me in the snow!”

Shuichi chuckled again, only barely registering any other complaints Kokichi might have had until they finally got inside of the apartment complex.

“Aaaah! Warmth! Waaaarmth!” Kokichi cried out immediately. “Ugh! That’s so much better… I can’t wait to get to the apartment, I’m so gonna collapse into bed. Ice skating is the literal worst!”

Shuichi smiled, sheepish yet with a hint of teasing. “Well, it might not have been so bad if you didn’t try so hard to show off so much...”

“Wow! I see today Shuichi’s been replaced with savage Shu!” Kokichi exclaimed, pouting and his face red. “Where’s my sweet boyfriend? I know I left with him this afternoon! What have you done with my precious soft boyfriend, you fiend?”

As they walked towards the elevator, Shuichi fished out the apartment keys from his pocket, and pressed the button on the control panel. “Oh, you caught me. I think I left him to read his books after we had our little switch.”

“I think we’ve been hanging out too much, Shuichi,” Kokichi muttered, though he was grinning. “I’m not so sure I like this version of you. Ooooh, maybe it’s because you’re _fussy?_ Have I been _neglecting_ you, lately?” He grinned wider. “Does my wittle Shu wanna _play_ a bit when we get hooome? Maybe… make a mess of the bed?”

The emphasis on certain words and implications left Shuichi to be the one with his breath sputtered, and his face started burning red hot. “K-Kokichi…!”

“Huuuh? What? You don’t wanna play? But I thought you liked playing with me!” Kokichi started up with the dramatic tears again, bottom lip trembling. “I thought you loved my pillow forts and pillow fighting with me! Or, maybe—” the tears were gone as quick as they came, and Kokichi was grinning wide. “—Oh, you pervert! You toootally have your head in the gutter again, don’t you? Man, you’re such a thirsty boy—”

Kokichi was interrupted with Shuichi placing a hand on Kokichi’s head and ruffling his hair, which earned him a huff and an impish snicker.

The rest of the elevator ride was quiet but not uncomfortable. Kokichi had settled down with his mischief and leaned against Shuichi, snaking his arms around his own and snuggling to it. The sight brought a fond smile to Shuichi’s face, finding endearment in that calm, sleepy expression his boyfriend had.

Things remained quiet getting off the elevator, walking down the hallway to the fourth door on the right. As Shuichi unlocked the door to their apartment, Kokichi yawned.

“Man, today was a _day,_ ” Kokichi muttered. “I’m not even gonna get dressed, I’m just gonna flop onto the bed and pass out.”

“Ah, you should at _least_ shower… We also need to eat dinner.”

Their chatter was mundane, typical and familiar. Heating up leftovers, eating, snuggling on the couch for a little while, it was a comfortable routine. Soon, Kokichi hopped off of the couch, calling out that he was going to take a shower first, and he slipped into the bathroom to do so. While he waited for his turn, Shuichi thought he’d catch up on a little reading, though like a curse, Kokichi was out of the shower just as Shuichi was starting to get invested.

“Heeey Shu! Shuu, it’s your turn, Shuuuu!” Kokichi plopped himself onto the couch, and rubbed his damp cheek against Shuichi’s. His hair was still dripping wet, and a few drops of water just barely missed those precious pages.

Shuichi leaned his book away from the danger zone, and patted Kokichi’s head with his free hand. His eyes never left the book. “Kokichi, please. You’re going to ruin my book.”

“Shuuuuu! You need to shower!” Kokichi whined, pouting. His eyes were wide and glassy. “I need you to snuggle me tonight! My body’s still all sore, I need my cuddles. You can’t stay up all night reading again!”

Shuichi turned to Kokichi, frowning. “But I’m so close to the end of the chapter...”

“Ugh! Sometimes I think you love your books more than me!” Kokichi leaned away, puffing out his cheeks and pouting more. “Okay, I’ll let you finish the chapter, but if you’re not in bed within an hour I’m going to steal all of the blankets for the night and you can’t have any!”

The threat made Shuichi smile. With his free hand, he grazed his fingers along Kokichi’s cheek, and gently, he pulled him in for a kiss. When he pulled away, Kokichi was no longer pouting. “Noted. I’ll be there soon, okay?”

“Mmm...” Kokichi’s eyes remained closed, and he nuzzled Shuichi’s hand. “Yeah, yeah… you’re lucky you’re so sweet and cute, I swear...”

It took Kokichi a minute to pull away, but when he did, he yawned and stood up. Shuichi heard him say something, some form of goodnight, but he was already too invested into his book to really know what he had said.

The promise long forgotten, Shuichi had kept reading beyond the chapter after it fell on a devastating cliffhanger, and he just couldn’t put it down until he had finished it. At first he was quite pleased with himself for doing so, but then he looked at the clock. He winced when he saw it was midnight.

Oh dear. Well, he might just have to get a spare blanket for the night.

Shuichi took a brisk shower and went through his night routine a little more quickly than he would have liked, but he figured he could take extra care of his teeth and hair in the morning. Slipping into the bedroom, he heard Kokichi’s breath, even and slow, and wondered if he had fallen asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

Carefully and quietly, Shuichi slipped into bed beside him, silently thankful that Kokichi didn’t end up hogging all of the blankets after all, and he loosely wrapped his arm around him. Shuichi scooted a little closer, and Kokichi groaned.

Soon, however, those soft little groans turned into whimpers, and Kokichi started shaking in his sleep. Thinking he was cold, Shuichi pulled Kokichi in closer, but the shaking only got worse.

“… Kiki?” Shuichi propped himself up with his arm, frowning. Kokichi started crying out in his sleep, and it made Shuichi worried. He moved his other arm, and gently shook his shoulder. “Kokichi?”

The gentle nudge was enough to make Kokichi gasped, eyes shooting open with a start, and his entire body went rigid. “Nn… no, please, no—”

“Kokichi?” Shuichi reached out for him again, gently caressing his shoulder. “Kokichi, it’s me—”

“No!” Kokichi cried out, swinging his arm and hitting Shuichi in his chest. The force was surprising enough that it knocked Shuichi over, and nearly knocked him off the bed. “Don’t touch me, no more—!” Kokichi shouted again before he curled in on himself, wheezing and sobbing. “No more, it hurts, please, no more—!”

Swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, Shuichi made very slow, cautious motions over to the bedside lamp, and once he felt his fingers graze upon it, he quickly turned it on.

Kokichi yelped again when the light broke through the darkness of the room, and he didn’t move an inch. He was still on his knees, hands covering his head and doubled over, breathing harshly and crying.

“Kokichi...” Shuichi had never seen him like this before, but the implications ached his heart. “It’s me, Kokichi. Look, it’s me.” Gently, slowly, Shuichi moved again, and gently rested his hand on Kokichi’s arm. “Please look...”

It took him a few minutes, but eventually, Kokichi moved his head, opening his eyes and glancing up at Shuichi. “… Shu-Shuichi…?”

“Yeah. You had a bad dream,” Shuichi whispered, beckoning Kokichi to sit up only to pull him into his arms. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. It’s okay.”

“A… bad dream?” Kokichi swallowed and shuddered. “B-but, it hurts… my whole body hurts, it was so real, it has to be...”

“That’s because we went ice skating yesterday. You fell down a lot,” Shuichi clarified, petting Kokichi’s hair. “I promise, you’re okay. Whatever happened, it was just a dream.”

“A dream...”

Soon enough, Kokichi relaxed with a quiet sob and buried his face into Shuichi’s chest. His shoulders started shaking, and Shuichi felt the hot tears dampening his shirt. He pulled Kokichi in tighter, a far more protective hug than comforting, and rubbed circles into his back in hopes that the motions could soothe him.

Kokichi pulled away once he was able to collect himself, but he kept his head bowed. “Sorry I punched you.”

With a warm smile, meant to reassure Kokichi but only reflecting sorrow, Shuichi encouraged him to look into his eyes. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it. It didn’t even hurt more so was it surprising.”

“Still… Shouldn’t’ve hit you,” he mumbled. “Sorry...”

“Sh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” A pause. Then, with an unsure voice, Shuichi asked; “Do you want to talk about it?”

With the way Kokichi tensed, he knew even before Kokichi shook his head rapidly that he didn’t want to utter a single word. It was as Shuichi expected; had it been _just_ a nightmare, Kokichi would have gladly told him everything.

But the dream he had wasn’t just any old nightmare. It was a manifestation of an ugly past, a mirror of a memory that manifested in scars on his lover’s skin. Shuichi never asked, and Kokichi never told, but Shuichi was always picking up hints and clues that Kokichi had nothing short of a hard life as a child.

It ached his heart knowing that, and seeing the remnants left behind. He wished he could will them away, wished that Kokichi had a life that didn’t dare mar his skin. There was nothing he could do, however, except protect him from then on, and comfort him when his past decided to rear its ugly head.

“Do you want me to make you some tea?”

Shuichi was given a soft nod this time, and as soon as Kokichi let him, he was out the door. The tea took far longer than he could stand to steep, but Shuichi was back in bed with two warm mugs in no time.

Kokichi took one and started sipping at it, quiet and unfocused, and they sat there in an unusual silence they hadn’t known before. Something awkward, but dense and filled with sorrow. A sense of knowing without a spoken word.

“… Hey, Shu?” Kokichi’s voice lacked any of his normal cheer. It was quiet, soft—honest, and fragile. “… I love you.”

Shuichi carefully wrapped his arm around Kokichi’s torso, moving him closer and kissing the top of his head. “I love you too, Kokichi. I love you so much.”

Kokichi hummed in acknowledgment, but didn’t say anything else in response. Once they were both finished with their tea, Shuichi put them on the nightstand. He would deal with them in the morning.

“Shu—” Kokichi called out, stopping him just before he reached to turn the light off. “… Can you leave the light on? Just for tonight.”

With a soft nod, Shuichi rolled over to Kokichi, and he let him cuddle up to his chest. Still shaking, breath still uneven, Kokichi was practically clinging to him until he finally fell back asleep. After about a half an hour, Shuichi couldn’t keep his own eyes open, and drifted off as well, not even thinking once to turn off the light.


End file.
